"Tell her I was the only one of our party who crossed a sacred creek barefoot, everyone else left their shoes on. One of us was right, and the other four were wrong. Over."
"Aye, Skipper, will do. When are you coming home? Over."
"We expect to leave this city about 30 minutes after sunrise, and maybe an hour and a half later leave the planet. I don't know anything about orbital parameters, we'll have to wing it, or rather, Hornet will have to wing it and you'll have to follow. Have the LS docked with Hornet when we arrive. Over."
"Understood, sir, I'll pass word to Maria. Over."
"Good. And have her plot courses both to Earth and to Canada, we don't know what the Admiral will want us to do. Over."
I know, I'm just not saying it. We're going to Earth, he's going to Canada, except that I don't think the Libor will be happy with that.
"Aye, sir. Over."
"And that's all, Lt. Commander. See you in the morning. Over and out."
"Yorktown, out."
I repeat last night, lay my weapons out next to the bed and lay down on top fully clothed, after setting the alarm for an hour before sunrise.
Chapter 37
My alarm wakes me, my brain enjoying a dream of Colorado too much to wake me itself. I wash myself as best I can, dreaming of my shower aboard ship, then put on my clean uniform and head out, still barefoot. I don't know if the direct approach is the way to go, or to just keep hinting. Either way, the Admiral is going to be mad, and I have no proof to back up my belief. I suppose I could have gotten a report from Courtney, but too late for that idea.
Tensi takes us around to the front again, and again I wade and everyone else jumps. Alexander is standing inside on the stage, with his entire entourage and about 20 guests. We all know where our spot is, and we quickly settle in so everyone else can be seated.
There are already food platters scattered around the room, loaves of the brown bread, some kind of jam, and one kind of fruit, red berries. We eat up, especially since it's back to ship food for a couple days until we're home. I suddenly have a bizarre thought.
"Is there anyway to get seeds to plant some of these back home? I should have thought of that yesterday when we had time, but...."
He cuts me off, turns and signs to Alexander who is done eating and sitting quietly on the stage. He gets a "yes" in response, then something about a spacecraft. Forty nine words.
"He'll arrange for a package to meet us at the spaceport."
I give him the sign for honorable thanks. They have thanks, thank you very much, and thank you I am honored. Three of my 49 words.
The Admiral is red in the face.
I am tempted to give him the sign for "knife."
We finish eating quickly, and I'm sure on cue, waiters appear with another round of shots. It's a tad early in the morning, but I'm strangely okay with it.
Everyone gets theirs, including all the guests this time. Alexander gulps first, I follow quickly. The Admiral and his Captains once again take a sip and move on.
Alexander stands and gives a loud banjo cat dialog, about two minutes worth, which means he spoke seven or eight times for three seconds each, then reset and reloaded his cannons before speaking again.
When he finishes, the guests leave followed by five of the seven on the stage. Tensi leads us out to the bus parked in front of the temple, Khan and Alexander taking Tail End Charlie.
Alexander signs to Tensi, who says his goodbyes.
"Alexander wishes you safe travels, and hopes the mission will lead to a quick resolution."
The Admiral answers for us.
"Thank him for us, and let him know that we will do everything in our power to help our leaders see the wisdom in making a pact with him."
Tensi signs, Alexander signs back with a farewell, turns and walks toward the temple. We get on the bus and are zipped much more quickly than last time through the streets to the airport. I can't read the tail numbers so I don't know if this is the same jet that brought us here, but it's identical inside and out.
This time the Admiral leaves me to Schroeder while he and his aides have a discussion in the rear of the plane. I impolitely tell Schroeder to sit somewhere else, and take photos out the window during the flight, including a bunch of nice ones of the base. Yorktown's cameras can get down to about a foot resolution from orbit, but it's still nice to have pics from close range.
The jet taxis down the tarmac further than we found it last time, in fact, it takes us all the way to a waiting football, there to take us to orbit. We walk down the air stair from one craft, across 100 feet of concrete and board Football One.
There are only eight seats on this size ship, four rows of two with an aisle between.
The Admiral and his staff head to the rear again, Khan sits in the second row with his aide, the security it sits with one of the Admiral's aides, which leaves the translator and me in the front row.
Schroeder unloads four sealed containers from the jet and with three Libor walks them over to our ship. Must be the boxes of food. He hands me a package as he walks out, making a little hand to hand contact as he does. I should hit him, but I simply nod my thanks. Hopefully, he just gave the farm girl a package of very unique seeds.
I take my radio out of my pack, then stuff the pack under my seat with the seed package and strap myself in.
One of the pilots makes sure the hatch is secure, then returns forward and goes through the now standard power up procedure. They make one of their obscenely smooth takeoffs and transition to level flight, then turn their nose skyward and hit the thrusters.
I will assume they have coordinated the orbital parameters with the Admiral and Hornet, though they might simply be setting up a rendevous with the ship and are expecting us to work things out once we get there. Unlike the Life Libor, these boats don't have human docking collars on them.
These it's are slick at rendevous as well, we're 100 meters off Hornet's port side on first orbit, no need to go around again. Six men in suits are outside the ship, holding the emergency docking collar that may have been hanging there since we left.
The Libor pop thrusters gently, move us in close, and wait patiently until there's a knock on the spacecraft hatch. I'm closest, and I know how to work the hatch. I get it open to the surprise of the Libor pilot who is standing behind me, expecting me to need its help.
We want Khan to go first, but he makes the Admiral go first, his security it second, and makes himself third. I get everyone else off, and help the its with the boxes, which are easy in zero gee, then grab my pack and package.
There's a fight going on when I enter the ship.
"It was Khan's understanding that we were traveling on Yorktown, not on Hornet. He considers it an insult."
Frak me. I should just throw myself out the airlock now.
"Hornet is the flagship," Captain Walker is doing his best, "Admiral Sutherland outranks Captain Krieger by two steps, it's not an insult."
There's signing going back and forth between Osborne the translator and Khan.
"Khan says that the Admiral has never faced any of the Children eyes to eyes, and that he insulted the temple and the Guardians while on the planet."
The Admiral pushes his aide out of the way.
"Insulted? No insult was ever intended. I have great respect for them. Please tell him what I did and I will correct it at once."
More signing.
"Khan says you failed to cleanse yourself before entering, and you refused the liquid bond. Honestly, I don't know what either of those things mean. Maybe I can ask his aide."
I step in.
"Admiral, he means you didn't walk through the creek outside the temple, though none of the humans ever did, so how would we know? And you sipped your shot, you're supposed to down it like you're in a bar back home."
Sutherland looks at me like I'm a Capulet and he's a Montague.
"And you felt not saying anything was the proper way to help your superior officer?"
&n
bsp; "Sir, I had no evidence other than my gut." I change the "b" to a "g" and drop a "t." "You did exactly as the other humans did, I did what I did because I wanted clean feet and I thought it was polite, not because I knew something."
Osborne has been signing while we talked.
"Khan agrees. He says that the Children are made to understand from when they are young, they should have explained to you. However, that does not change his wish to travel on Yorktown. He did suggest that you and the Captain could fight and he would go with the victor."
"No. I want the Ambassador to be happy. Please tell him he can transfer to Yorktown with Captain Krieger, a boat is available at his pleasure."
That was another mistake. Now Khan will believe Sutherland is afraid of me.
They sign. This time I get most of it.
"We will go now."
Sutherland looks at me with disgust.
"Deck one. Coordinate with my staff on course and speed."
"Aye, sir."
I come to zero-gee attention and give him a snappy salute which he casually returns. I don't think he appreciates the importance of what I just did and what his lack of response did, but he hasn't understood much so far.
I turn to the Libor and sign "follow me." Osborne looks surprised.
We float up to deck one, and I am thrilled to see Sergeant Flanagan waiting for us at the hatch.
"Nice to see you Sergeant."
I return his salute and float aside to let Khan enter the boat first. I bring up the rear, make sure everybody is strapped in properly, and tell the crew to roll.
We're 10 meters off the ship when I realize we've forgotten the food. We're not going back unless Khan thinks of it and makes us. We should be home tomorrow, or wherever we're headed, it should keep that long. I phone home and let them know who's coming to dinner.
We clunk onto Yorktown, not as smoothly as the Libor do it, but I wouldn't trade my Marine aviators in for theirs, I want to win battles not smoothness contests. I am the first person and second thing off the boat, come to find Khan looking my first officer over.
She's the first human he's seen that's taller than him. And as skinny as most Libor, yet obviously strong. I don't know if he can read her body language or the look in her eyes, but he ought to be afraid if he can.
Osborne is behind me. He and I both stare for a minute at the staring contest in front of us. Then I nudge him and get him to translate.
"Khan the 85th, may I present my second in command, Commander Shelby Perez."
There is much signing.
"Khan says he is surprised that you have defeated this one, and that he is even more impressed with you than before. He asked me to explain her appearance, and I did the best I could. Khan assumed she was a different clan, and he thought we only had the three."
Three clans. Never thought of the Empire, the Dynasty, and the Union as clans before. I move on.
"Commander, how's the Senator?"
"Still unconscious, Skipper, no change in condition."
"Copy. Please show our guests their quarters, I need to get to the bridge. Please bring them to the bridge once they are acclimated."
"Aye, sir."
Shel gives me a look that suggests I am in trouble. Good thing I'm the leader of my clan and she's my best friend.
I float down and kick Emily out of my couch. She's floating, not sure whether to go to Engineering or take the Second officer's station.
"Mr. McAdams, get me Hornet. Lt. Commander Powell, we're going to go to heavy acceleration and a couple jumps. I'd be a lot happier with you in Engineering, if you'd please."
I get a couple of ayes, and Emily floats aft, looking relieved. That's a look of relief, not a comment on her being relieved in the Navy sense.
"Captain," it's Courtney being official, "Admiral Sutherland on comm."
I hit the button on my comm panel. His face fills my right hand display.
"Yes, sir."
"Captain, sit rep."
"The Libor are touring the ship, and will be on the bridge within a few minutes. My First is conducting the tour."
"We will jump to the following coordinates."
My second screen has tactical up, it comes to life and shows a set of jump points. Bad jump points. I have to make him madder.
"Admiral, if I may?"
"Go ahead, Captain."
"Sir, the Life clan will undoubtedly know we're jumping, and they probably know where we jumped once we came this way, and they know where Truxton jumped in the transfer system, and they know where we've been jumping into Gamma Upsilon. We should jump at least into a new position, and I would suggest we jump away from the planet at random spots to give us room to maneuver. Sir."
The Libor arrive before he answers, I motion them over.
"Captain, do you really believe that the Life clan knows we're jumping with the Ambassador and will try to ambush us?"
I pause to let Osborne translate.
"Yes, sir, I do, sir."
He pauses again.
"Have you explained this theory to Khan?"
"Sir, he was just filled in."
"And what does he think?"
I look at Osborne.
"Khan says he can not believe the Life know of his mission, and that we should not proceed on that assumption."
I look at Khan and sign "no." He gives me the same sign back.
"Good enough for me, Krieger," the Admiral hasn't sounded this happy in a long time. "We will proceed as laid out, have your pilots coordinate with Hornet."
"Aye, sir."
"Oh. And you forgot the food boxes, we've got them stowed."
Osborne fills us in.
"Khan noticed they were not transferred to the shuttle. He is fine without them, and will expect them to be available when we get to Canada 2."
"You can assure him we'll take good care of them. Sutherland out."
I call Garcia.
"Maria, coordinate course and speed with Hornet. Let me know the details when you have them."
"Aye, Skipper."
I look at Osborne and the three Libor.
"Let me show you your couches and how to use them."
We float over to the spares and I demonstrate everything from the straps to the relief tubes to the water tubes to the displays. When I'm done, Osborne has a question.
"Khan would like to know why you believe that a Death clan Child would betray his clan."
I look at him, give the sign for his clan and the word no.
"Tell him there are too many humans among them now, one of them might betray him."
Osborne relays this and Khan seems almost pensive before signing in response.
"This is something that had not occurred to him. He will give it some thought."
We're interrupted by Garcia.
"Captain, we're moving in two minutes."
"Aye, Lieutenant."
I turn to tell Khan, but Osborne already has him on the move. The translator and three Libor are strapped in with a minute to spare, and I hustle over to my couch and strap myself in. The tactical and nav displays show a standard course toward the sun, 23 hour transit at moderate gee.
Sutherland has us flying in synch, Yorktown 100 klicks off his port side, enough room that there is no chance of an accident, but not so much that we loose visual. The clock hits zero and we power away from the Death planet.
It's an uneventful day. I recommend some food choices and Khan comes and goes from the bridge at various intervals, his security in tow. His aide stays put on the bridge, I think watching us. Shelby has armed the Marines on the bridge working with McAdams, and has the rest of their squad upstairs, on oxygen and more heavily armed, watching cameras just in case they are needed.
Not that I'm paranoid, but I clean my Maddie uniforms and keep my knives on me.
We're jumping to the system in between Libor Prime and the Death system, we really need someone to come up with a naming convention for the Libor systems. This time we'll jump to th
e other side of the sun from last time, and spend a grand total of about three seconds there before jumping to Libor Prime's sun, and three seconds later, to the transfer system between their space and ours. Sutherland has a pause there for us to coordinate and reset before beginning another set of jumps.
Libor: Katana Krieger #2 Page 30
